Tang Guangling Mausoleum is located on Yaoshan Mountain, 10 kilometers north of Pucheng County, Weinan City. It is the tomb of Emperor Mu Zong Li Heng of the Tang Dynasty. The main peak is about 1091 meters above sea level. On the afternoon of August 15, 2021, when my friends and I were passing by the west side of Tang Guangling Mausoleum, we happened to see the Ximen (Baihumen) ruins here——
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The west gate site of Tang Guangling Mausoleum is located on a hillside 300 meters north of Huangbian Village, Xiangcun Town, Pucheng County. The terrain is high and the view is wide. On June 25, 2001, as an important part of the "Tang Dynasty Imperial Tombs", the west gate site of Tang Guangling Mausoleum was announced by the State Council as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
At about 3:30 in the afternoon, we left the north gate site of Tang Jingling Mausoleum and were on our way to the east gate site of Tang Jingling Tomb. When passing Huangbian Village, I saw the rammed earth tower ruins on the satellite map. I thought this was the east gate ruins of Tang Jingling Mausoleum. When I walked to the side of the ruins, I discovered that this was the ruins of the west gate of Tang Guangling Mausoleum.
At the west end of Huangbian Village, along the straight dirt road and climbing to the broad platform to the north, you can see the entire west gate ruins of Tang Guangling Mausoleum. Today, the ruins of rammed earth towers and stone lions facing north and south are preserved here.
Later, I operated my drone to take aerial photos of the west gate ruins of Tang Guangling Mausoleum. After the drone rose from the edge of the ruins, it flew over the ruins from west to east, passing between the rammed earth tower ruins and the stone lions. Then, fly in a wide circle around the site for a sweeping view of the historical ruins and surrounding natural environment.
The Ximen ruins are located about 1.4 kilometers southwest of the main peak of Tang Guangling Mausoleum, with rolling mountains to the north and endless plains to the south. This place is located about 3 kilometers northeast of the main peak of Tang Jingling Mausoleum, facing the ruins of the north gate (Xuanwu Gate) of Tang Jingling Tomb. There is a wide ravine between the two imperial mausoleums.
At present, too many protection measures have not been taken to protect the west gate site of Tang Guangling Mausoleum. It is still surrounded by fields and basically maintains its original historical appearance. Few people usually visit it. The two rammed earth towers are conical in shape, with a remaining height of about 6 meters, and a distance of about 50 meters from north to south. About 50 meters inside the rammed earth towers, two stone lions are placed on a platform made of blue bricks.
Two exquisitely carved stone lions stand against the tall main peak of Tang Guangling Mausoleum, guarding the west gate, majestic. Both stone lions are carved from a single piece of limestone. The body and base are integrated into one body. The overall height is about 150 cm and the chest width is about 85 cm.
The two stone lions are about 30 meters apart from the north to the south. They squat on the two-story stone base, sitting east to west, with their heads held high. The stone lion on the south side is a male lion, with its mouth closed and bared teeth, and its hair curly; the stone lion on the north side is a female lion, with its mouth open and its hair stretched out.
The two stone lions at the west gate site of Tang Guangling Mausoleum are well preserved, with clear facial features, prominent brow bones, prominent cheekbones, and plump bodies. The stone lion is small in size, rough in carving techniques, and has obvious characteristics of the times. It is basically the same style as the existing stone lions in Jinling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty.